Timing of annual state address sparks council debate

Feathers were ruffled at a recent National City Council meeting when one council member asked for a consensus to reschedule the mayor’s annual state of the city address further from election season.

Councilman Luis Natividad said he’s concerned about the influence Mayor Ron Morrison could have so close to an election.

“I’m concerned about doing it during election year so I’d like to look at the possibility of amending council policy to ensure that none of us use this policy to promote ourselves during a time that we are campaigning or running for office,” Natividad said at the Sept. 17 meeting.

The next city election is in November 2014.

Morrison said he’s done everything he can to keep politics out of the event and will continue to do so.

“We’ve moved it up as far forward as we could to get it away from the election time,” he said, adding dates have ranged from August to November. “When people have put up campaign signs, we’ve jerked them down because we’ve told everyone this is not the place for campaigning.”

Although the event remains scheduled for Oct. 17 at Cornerstone Church in National City, other council members weighed in on the discussion.

While Councilman Jerry Cano said he’s never seen campaigning at the event, Councilwomen Mona Rios and Alejandra Sotelo-Solis have had different experiences.

“When people park their cars and they put a sign on it … that is politicking,” Rios said.

“Or when people wear shirts or hand out business cards with certain election candidates’ name, that definitely is electioneering,” Sotelo-Solis said.

Other concerns include cost and location.

Morrison said in previous years, the events cost the city a lot more money.

“This has probably become the most successful state of the city address procedure in the county,” Morrison said. “There’s basically no cost here at all and we’re able to put on a very elaborate event that showcases the city.”

The city would have initially incurred about $1,100 for processing the permit and public works fees, however, it was decided that the cost for Public Works would be removed, leaving the remaining cost at about $240.

“Sponsored events do not fall under the $1,500 amount so we absorb the cost,” City Manager Leslie Deese said.

Rios said she’s been questioned about having a city-sponsored event at a church.

Morrison said it goes back to accommodations.

“If it was a church structure that had a lot of iconic symbols and everything else then I would have more concerns,” he said. “This one appears for most purposes much more like a performing arts theater, which is what we use it as.”

Morrison said the event brings in hundreds who can enjoy food and drinks donated by local vendors after the address.

“That’s the reason why we use the facility that we do, it is donated for free and if we had other facilities of like type I’d use those just as well … we just don’t have those to this day,” he said.

Morrison said motivation for the changes is politically based.

“I think what we’re getting into here is more political jealousy rather than anything else,” he said.

Sotelo-Solis said the discussion is part of the democratic process.

“I feel that we’re doing our due diligence and I’m glad to see that there is a TUP (temporary use permit) process now happening so we can ask the question,” she said.

Deese said last year was the first that a temporary use application was submitted to council for the event, due to outdoor cooking and tents.

“Only recently have we begun using the TUP application as a tool to help track costs, equipment and services for city sponsored events,” Deese stated in an email.

Five years ago, the venue changed from the Martin Luther King Community Center to Cornerstone Church in National City, Morrison said due to an increased need for seating and parking.

Morrison plans to run for a third consecutive term — his last opportunity according to the city’s term limits. This year will be his seventh state of the city address since being elected in 2006.